Mara why, Marakele Marathon, why...?

40 - Marakele Marathon - Marakele National Park, South Africa, 3 March 2018

I would be lying if I said I am over the disappointment of missing the 2017 Big Five Marathon. I had looked forward to it for a very long time. Missing it after traveling and dressing up for it was a bitter pill to swallow. As a result, any race that’s run in a game park or reserve gets me excited. I see it as a way to get my revenge on that false start to the 2017 Big Five Marathon. That was the feeling I got when I stumbled upon the Marakele Marathon. Finally, had a chance to run in the wilderness amid game, so I thought!

Having registered for the race in December 2017, the wait until March 2018 was a very long one. Luckily, the races in between managed to keep me sane a bit. As is usually the case, race day arrived when there were many other things going on. I had planned to get to Thabazimbi during the afternoon on the eve of the race. However, I only got there late at night. My departure was delayed due to work commitments. Then there were massive road closures along the way. By the time I got to Thabazimbi, the town had run out of electricity. The tried to explain the darkness as power cuts or load shedding, but I did not buy it. Thabazimbi just looked like the sort of town that bought prepaid electricity from from the neighboring town. Anyway, I managed to find my accommodation in the darkness. Let’s just call it that, accommodation. I don’t want to elevate it to hotel or relegate it to a BnB. I had booked this place waaaay in advance. Two months before my arrival date. When I tried to check in, I was told that I had to find another place because they had no water or electricity. I was tempted to take the room sans water or electricity as it was late at night. I decided against that and was tempted sleep in my car. I decided against that too. After driving around in the dark for a while, and way beyond my race day eve sleeping time, I managed to get a room at another place.

The race start, as you would expert in the middle of the bush, was not congested. I even managed to squeeze that last-minute toilet visit. You can’t afford carrying excess load when there is a chance that the lions will chase you. Immediately after the starting gun went off, and before we knew it, we were right in the thick of things. We were in the middle of the bush; away from the madness of the Pretoria or Johannesburg Taxi drivers.

The Half Marathon runners made a huge contribution to the cheerful early parts of the race. After they turned around, the field became sparse. Suddenly, there were a handful of us running deeper into the wilderness. The odds of being chased down and eaten by lions or any wild animals kept growing. The many game rangers holding big guns on the roadside did not inspire much confidence. They were supposed to make us feel safe. However, they were a constant reminder of what could suddenly creep out of the bushes. As if that was not enough, the road looked like a toilet for a lot of the animals, especially elephants. There was animal poo everywhere. This became my preoccupation for most of the race from about 10km to 33km or so. I could even tell which of those heaps were female, and which heaps were bull, crap. It was quite easy to do so. I can smell and identify bull crap from a distance.

The first half of the race was quite challenging for me. I had set off without knowing what lay ahead. I had not studied the route. I knew it was not going to be easy, being my seventh marathon in seven weeks. I however did not expect it to be that bad. I was never ready for those hills. I managed to drag myself across the halfway mark after 2 hours and 20 minutes. If you are new here, I normally get to that point between 1h55 and 2h00. The 2h20 just shows that I was having a tough day at the office. Most of the climbing was in the first 21 kilometers. The second half promised to be fast. There was a catch though. The downhills back to the start were very steep. If you were not careful, you would stuff up your knees badly. I therefore had to be careful and not win the battle but lose the war. There was no point in ramping up the speed to get a respectable time but be out of action for weeks. I had to focus on the goal, AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018. That’s exactly what I did. I sped a bit but ensured that I slowed down whenever the downhills were too steep. I discovered another side of me. I managed to run the uphills faster that the downhills. At some point I was completely alone on the road. I was too slow to catch the old couple in front of me and I was also too fast for the trio behind me. It's moments like these that I start having conversations with myself and dream up things. I planned my next race, did a bit of office work, and even managed to write this blog as I ran a few kilometers on my own.

All seemed well while I was fantasizing about the year ahead until about the 36^th kilometer. By that time, I was well in time for a 4h20 finish. I had recovered a lot of the time lost during the first half of the race. Suddenly, I got a very painful stitch just below my chest. Anatomy is not one of my strengths and I don’t know what muscle that was. I tried all the layperson tricks I know to get rid of it, but it didn’t go away. I was forced to walk for the next three or so kilometers. Each time I tried running, I felt a very sharp and stabbing pain. People I had left behind started passing me. I am sure they were telling themselves that they knew, from the way I was running those hills, that my wheels would come off. I never said anything to them other than “well done”. This was the opposite of what one chap I passed earlier on did. As I was about to pass to him, he explained to me that he was having cramps and some story about “lack of supplements.” I did not pay attention to his story. I have heard such stories before. Besides, my race was going well at that stage. The last thing I wanted to hear were excuses, excuses, and excuses. At least that’s what I thought. When the tragedy struck me, I somehow remembered that chap. Maybe he really was experiencing cramps and “a lack of supplements.” That did not make me feel better though. I kept wondering what I had done wrong. Had I gone too fast? Did I fail to control my breathing? Had I taken too much water and coke? I had this under control man, what went wrong? All these questions made me realize how one’s race can quickly go wrong. I had it under control just a few kilometers earlier. However, there I was hanging on to dear life and praying for a finish, regardless of the finishing time.

Eventually, around the 41^st kilometer, I started running again. The pain was still there, but a little less than it was a couple of kilometers before that. I also did not have much choice. This part of the race sort of formed the home straight. I had to keep running to keep all sorts of roadside comments at bay. I was in no mood for “why are you walking” comments. I hung in there and crossed the finish line after 4h33. Not the greatest time, but I was glad. I was glad it was over. Driving home that afternoon, it struck me that I had actually run a marathon in a national park, but I had not seen a single animal; not even a mouse!!! Mara why Marakele Marathon why? Just stacks of animal droppings, the whole way? I hope next year the animals will be there and will add to the aesthetics and tranquil running environment.

As you, or should, by now know, if it is not on Facebook - it didn’t happen. I had the following to say on Facebook:
#100BEFORE40 Marathon 7 of AtLeast18MarathonsFor2018, Marakele Marathon, is fully loaded. Not the best day on the road, but that is what running marathons is all about. Each is different. Each has its highs and lows. Got to the finish in the end. 4:32:28 finish. Target was 4:20, but I would be ungrateful if I were to say I am not happy with the time. At some point it felt like it would be in the late 4:40s. 🙏🙏🙏🙏 for following the 100BEFORE40. Next week, 100BEFORE40 takes a break. It’s going for a service. We need to change the oil, filters, brake pads etc...😜😜😜